Virginia coach Mike London talks about unproven quarterbacks, plus updates on Rijo Walker, Will Hill and young depth chart

U.Va. coach Mike London put an end Monday to any lingering speculation (did anybody not know who the starter would be?) regarding his quarterbacks heading into Saturday’s season-opener against William & Mary.

Yet, his quarterback depth chart seems about as sturdy as that oak tree limb that fell in the road this past weekend outside my mom’s house in Newport News as a result of Hurricane Irene (nobody got hurt and nothing was damaged in the great oak tree limb collapse).

In other words, this quarterback situation is fluid. Michael Rocco is the starter for now, and Hampton High graduate David Watford won’t be wearing a redshirt in his true freshman season, but a lot could change in the first few weeks of the season.

“We've got different quarterbacks,” said London during Monday’s game-week press conference in Charlottesville. “We have different guys that have different gifts, abilities and talents. Instead of anointing one as the sole guy, at this time in this program, we are where we are right now with the quarterback situation. Hopefully their play as the season goes on will separate one from another because then they're playing in front of people.

“They've never been hit in practice. As much as you try to simulate live rushes and tackling the quarterback, that hasn't happened, but it's going to happen real quick. It's going to happen this Saturday. Who can handle it, how they handle it has got to be evaluated as far as who will continue to keep taking snaps from center.”

W&M may actually provide something of a decent gauge for Rocco’s progress. The Tribe runs a defense full of zone pressure schemes that could create some uncertainty for Rocco.

“They're very active,” said London regarding W&M’s defensive front four. “They'll zone pressure you, three-deep. They keep the ball in front of them. They don't let you throw the ball behind them. They got guys that run. They play hard. That's a style of defense that I know (former W&M defensive coordinator Bob) Shoop was running before he left and went to Vanderbilt [in January to become defensive coordinator], and (new W&M defensive coordinator Scott) Boone who I know also has picked up the same philosophy, same style of play.”

One of many factors to keep an eye on Saturday will be apparent for any fan watching the game. How does Rocco and Watford (or any other young U.Va. quarterback, for that matter) handle the huddle in the game?

When speaking with Watford a couple weeks ago, he was very frank about talking about how he was too timid in the huddle in the spring. He has had to learn to speak slowly and with greater conviction.

“I try to be more assertive in the huddle,” Watford told the Daily Press two weeks ago. “I try to speak clearer and talk louder.”

Rocco has also had to find his voice with the team. It’s apparently still a work in-progress, but some of the seniors are trying to remove a little of the burden.

“I wouldn’t say that he’s not a vocal leader,” U.Va. senior wide receiver Kris Burd said. “He’s definitely a vocal leader, but just as far as if some of the older guys screw up, we’ll deal with it ourselves more than he’ll step out and say something about it. We’re going to help him as older guys on this team to help him lead the team in the right direction.”

While the highlight of the day was London’s quarterback chatter, some more movement on U.Va.’s depth chart involving Peninsula-area players caught me by surprise. Sophomore Rijo Walker, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound Bethel High graduate, has been moved from cornerback to free safety. He's the No. 2 free safety behind starting senior Corey Mosley.

Walker has had a whirlwind last five months, and it hasn’t all been encouraging in terms of depth chart adjustments. He came out of spring practice listed first at the cornerback spot opposite senior Chase Minnifield, but that situation quickly changed at the start of preseason practices this month when true freshman Tra Nicholson was slotted as the starting cornerback opposite Minnifield.

Walker, who drew London’s praise last season while playing on the kickoff, punt, kickoff return and punt return teams and as a backup cornerback, became a recent candidate to play safety because he has learned defensive coordinator Jim Reid’s 4-3 scheme well and can make play calls from the secondary.

“You always like those corners that can play safety,” London said. “That's why you recruit corners that play safety. His curve has fast-forwarded to the point he has a great understanding and grasp of the defense and how to run it. He shows an aptitude for getting it done.

"We could have gone with Dom Joseph, who played safety last year. We still can do that in an emergency situation, but, as I said, I think Rijo has done a pretty good job in knowing the defense, the calls, the adjustments, all those things. “

Speaking of Joseph, he’ll still have a critical role in U.Va.’s secondary. He’s listed as Minnifield’s backup, and London also said Joseph would be the cornerback entering the game in nickel situations. London added he’ll mix up personnel with some younger players, too – possibly putting in redshirt freshman Drequan Hoskey and true freshman Brandon Phelps nickel and dime packages.

Phelps is one of 10-to-12 true freshmen London plans to play at this point. In addition to Watford and Nicholson, six other true freshmen are listed prominently on U.Va.’s depth chart.

On U.Va.’s depth chart, there are 11 positions (half of the depth chart) currently occupied by true freshmen or redshirt freshmen at the No. 2 backup spots, plus a starting cornerback. That’s a lot of youth at a lot of key positions.

Defensive tackle is a position where U.Va. won’t have to rely on a lot of unfamiliar faces. In addition to seniors Matt Conrath and Nick Jenkins, junior Will Hill will factor in as the third defensive tackle (first guy off the bench at the position).

Hill, a Lafayette High graduate, spoke a little Monday about how the hurricane affected his family in Williamsburg. His family’s situation sounded a lot more frightening than the one my mom has had to deal with in Newport News.

“They don’t have power right now as far as I know,” Hill said. “Actually, some trees fell on my sister’s house, so it hits pretty close to home for me.”

Hill is originally from an area of Williamsburg near Busch Gardens, but his mother and father now live in a section of Williamsburg closer to Richmond.

From defensive line coach Jeff Hanson’s point of view, Hill has been one of the more impressive players on the line of scrimmage this preseason. Hanson mentioned last week he wished he had another year or two with the 6-4, 280-pound Hill to watch him develop.

“It just makes me feel like I’ve got to work that much harder to become what he sees I can become, and just to strive to get that much better,” Hill said.

Like Watford, Hill was an early enrollee at U.Va. Hill came to Charlottesville in Jan. 2009, and has reaped the benefits of early college entry in the classroom.

He’s majoring in biology and may pursue teaching in graduate school. Enrolling early has helped put him ahead of schedule in terms of graduating. He could be done with his undergraduate degree next summer, or the fall of his senior year of athletic eligibility.

Hill is listed as the top backup behind Jenkins, who has undergone quite a transformation since the last time he played in a game for U.Va.

Jenkins, a 6-3, 275-pound native of Westminster, Md. who is entering his second season as a team captain and fourth season as a starter, came to Monday’s press conference sporting a buzz cut. That’s a big change for a guy that used to have a hair style that rivaled Ted Nugent in his younger, wilder (more fuller-haired) days…but Jenkins grew it out for a good reason.

After his hair grew to 18 inches of brownish-blond curly locks, he cut it in late Jan. or early Feb. for the “Locks of Love” program, which provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 dealing with long-term medical-related hair loss. The program requires at least 10 inches of hair growth to donate.

Jenkins, who had 109 career tackles, came to Charlottesville in the fall of ’07 with a buzz cut. He decided to grow it out and contribute his hair to “Locks of Love” as a tribute to several of his mom’s friends that died of cancer.

“It was either a buzz cut, or grow it out, and I got too lazy to start cutting it every week and just let it grow,” Jenkins said.